Alabama

South Carolina defensive end Jadeveon Clowney (7) misses a sack of North Carolina quarterback Bryn Renner (2) during the second half of an NCAA college football game, Thursday, Aug. 29, 2013, in Columbia, S.C. A severe weather delay was called in the fourth quarter due to lighting in the area. South Carolina defeated North Carolina 27-10. (AP Photo/Stephen Morton)

POINT CLEAR, Alabama - If Texans defensive line coach Bill Kollar just had a nickel for every time someone had asked him which player Houston was going to select with the first pick in the NFL Draft on May 8, you'd think he might be tempted to retire after 35 years in the NFL.

Not that Kollar has a definitive answer when asked. Just a big laugh.

"I wish I knew because I've had that asked about a million times," Kollar said. "It's really hard to say. There's a bunch of good quarterbacks there. You've got that (Jadaveon) Clowney from South Carolina. You've got the kid from Buffalo, Khalil Mack."

Kollar was at the Grand Hotel Marriott Resort on Thursday night to be inducted into the Senior Bowl Hall of Fame. The MVP of the 1974 Senior Bowl as a defensive tackle from Montana State, Kollar is part of the hall's Class of 2014 with Torry Holt and DeMarcus Ware.

As the dean of the NFL's defensive line coaches, Kollar wouldn't be disappointed if the Texans took Clowney, a defensive end from South Carolina, with the first pick. He's also found Buffalo linebacker Khalil Mack impressive.

"He's definitely a heck of a talent," Kollar said of Clowney. "Obviously, he didn't have the year that he would have liked to statistic-wise this year like he did the year before. You still see it. He got double-teamed a lot and everything else, but without a doubt, he's still a heck of a football player.

"And the same with that Khalil Mack. I mean he is something when you end up watching him. I don't know if you'd say he's a dark horse, but you really hadn't heard that much about him earlier in the year. As the year progressed, he just kept playing better and better and has really put himself in a good position right now."

Kollar has been the Texans' defensive line coach since the 2009 season and was the only assistant coach retained from the 2013 staff when Bill O'Brien became Houston's head coach. Kollar also has been the defensive line coach for the Rams, Atlanta Falcons and Buffalo Bills in the NFL and Illinois and Purdue in college.

And he's been asked just about enough times about the identity of the No. 1 pick.

"The unfortunate thing is there's still a month left before the draft," Kollar said, "so every day on TV and everything else the questions keep going around."